Air conditioner and air conditioning system

Abstract

An air conditioner includes processing circuitry to acquire a result of detecting temperature information in a region; to generate thermal distribution information in the region from the temperature information; to generate reference thermal distribution information in the region; to acquire user setting information which includes user information previously assigned to a user and either temperature setting information or relative temperature setting information in each position in the region specified by the user; to store user position information in which the user information and a staying position of the user in the region are associated with each other in a storage; and to control air blow using the user setting information and the user position information.

1 .- 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . An air conditioner comprising processing circuitry:
 to acquire a result of detecting temperature information in a region;   to generate thermal distribution information in the region from the temperature information;   to generate reference thermal distribution information in the region;   to acquire user setting information which includes user information previously assigned to a user and either temperature setting information or relative temperature setting information in each position in the region specified by the user;   to store user position information in which the user information and a staying position of the user in the region are associated with each other in a storage; and   to control air blow using the user setting information and the user position information.   
     
     
         11 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry controls an air blow setting so that a difference between the thermal distribution information and the reference thermal distribution information decreases. 
     
     
         12 . The air conditioner according to  claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry adjusts the air blow setting by using a temporal change in the difference between the thermal distribution information and the reference thermal distribution information in accordance with the control of the air blow setting. 
     
     
         13 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry generates the reference thermal distribution information based on the temperature setting information or the relative temperature setting information regarding each acquired position. 
     
     
         14 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the setting information includes air volume setting information, and   the processing circuitry controls the air blow corresponding to the air volume setting information regarding each acquired position.   
     
     
         15 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry
 transmits the thermal distribution information in the generated region and receives user setting information including position information specifying a certain position in the region and the setting information regarding the specified position, and   acquiring the setting information corresponding to the received position information.   
     
     
         16 . The air conditioner according to  claim 15 , wherein the processing circuitry
 receives a plurality of pieces of the user setting information, and   acquires the setting information corresponding to each piece of the received position information.   
     
     
         17 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry estimates a setting position in the region based on the user information and the user position information and acquires the setting information included in the user setting information while associating the setting information with the setting position. 
     
     
         18 . The air conditioner according to  claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry
 acquires premises entry/exit information indicating entry/exit information regarding each piece of the user information in premises including the region,   stores the user information and transmission history records of the setting information regarding each user storage, and   identifies a user about to enter the region or having exited from the region based on the premises entry/exit information and generates the reference thermal distribution information by using the transmission history records regarding each identified user.   
     
     
         19 . An air conditioner comprising:
 processing circuitry   to acquire a result of detecting temperature information in a region;   to generate thermal distribution information in the region from the temperature information;   to generate reference thermal distribution information in the region;   to control an air blow setting so that a difference between the thermal distribution information and the reference thermal distribution information decreases;   to acquire setting information in each position in the region;   to store user position information in which the user information and a staying position of the user in the region are associated with each other in a storage; and   to receive second user setting information including the user information and the setting information specified by the user, wherein   the setting information includes temperature setting information or relative temperature setting information,   the processing circuitry generates the reference thermal distribution information based on the temperature setting information or the relative temperature setting information regarding each acquired position, and   the processing circuitry estimates a setting position in the region based on the user information included in the received user setting information and the user position information and acquires the setting information included in the user setting information while associating the setting information with the setting position.   
     
     
         20 . An air conditioner comprising:
 processing circuitry   to acquire a result of detecting temperature information in a region;   to generate thermal distribution information in the region from the temperature information;   to generate reference thermal distribution information in the region;   to acquire user setting information which includes either temperature setting information or relative temperature setting information in each position in the region specified by the user;   to store user position information in which the user information and a staying position of the user in the region are associated with each other in a storage; and   to control air blow using the user setting information and the user position information.   
     
     
         21 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a plurality of air conditioners to acquire control information and to control an air blow setting based on the acquired control information; and   processing circuitry   to acquire a result of detecting temperature information in a region equipped with the plurality of air conditioners;   to generate thermal distribution information in the region from the temperature information;   to generate reference thermal distribution information in the region;   to acquire user setting information which includes user information previously assigned to a user and either temperature setting information or relative temperature setting information in each position in the region specified by the user;   to store user position information in which the user information and a staying position of the user in the region are associated with each other in a storage; and   to generate the control information for controlling each of the air conditioners using the user setting information and the user position information; and   to transmit the control information to each of the air conditioners.   
     
     
         22 . An air conditioning system according to  claim 21 , wherein the processing circuitry generates the control information for controlling each of the air conditioners so that a difference between the thermal distribution information and the reference thermal distribution information decreases. 
     
     
         23 . A control method performed by an air conditioner, comprising:
 acquiring a result of detecting temperature information in a region;   generating thermal distribution information in the region from the temperature information;   generating reference thermal distribution information in the region;   acquiring user setting information which includes user information previously assigned to a user and either temperature setting information or relative temperature setting information in each position in the region specified by the user;   storing user position information in which the user information and a staying position of the user in the region are associated with each other in a storage; and   controlling air blow using the user setting information and the user position information.